Rail joint



July 26, 1932. F. L. RE UA 1,868,992

RAIL-JOINT,

Filed March 22, 1930 WIN mum

INVENTOR. FWeH-ZKL. F9 Qya A TTURNEYS.

Patented July 26, 1 932 UNITED STATES A T OFFICE FREDERICK L. RE one, CF sAN FRANCISCO, CALI N A, AssIG oa 'ro -'WELDING SERVICE, INC., OF SAN FFANCIsco, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION F CALIFORNIA RAIL JOINT Application filed March 22, 1330. serial No. 438,078..

This invention relates generally to theconstruction of joints for the railsof railways. In the past it has been common to construct rail joints in such a manner that the entire opposed end faces of the rails at each joint are brought into abutting contact, when the rails are expanded. In time, due to the severe pounding to which the rail joints are subjected, the metal adjacent the upper edges of o the rail ends tends to flow towards the junction between the rails, and when the rails are expanded suiiiciently to bring these distorted or flowed portions into Contact, relative up and down motion between the rail ends causes chipping. This chipping or multilation of the rails necessitates laying new rails or the building up of the rail ends by an expensive welding operation. This multilation can be prevented by slotting the rails, the slot being made transversely of the rail and extending downwardly a substantial distance at the rail joint. This slot provides a space into which the metal of the rails can flow without coming into such engagement as might cause chipping or mutilation. While that specific manner of formingrail joints is highly practical and represents a'distinct ad- Vance in the art, in certain instances the eX- pense and equipment required to actually cut slots in the rail joints, is not warranted.

It is an object of the present invention to devise a novel species ofrail joint, which will tend to prevent chipping and multilationjof the rails, but which will not require an actual cutting or slotting of the rail joints.

Further objects of the invention will appear from the following description in which the preferred embodiment of the invention has been set forth in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawing. Itis to be understood that the appended claims are to be accorded a range of equivalents consistent with the state of the prior art.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view illustrating a rail joint incorporating the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional View taken along theline 22 0f Fig. 1. I

Fig. *3 is a side elevational detail illustrating the manner in which the shim of Figs. 1 and 2 is engaged by the bolts.

Fig. 1 is a cross sectional view similar to Fig. 2, illustrating another means for retaining the insert in proper position.

Fig. 5 is a side elevational detail showing more clearly the construction of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 2, illustrating means for automatically lockingthe shim in proper position when inserted between the rail ends.

Fig. 7 is a side elevational detail illustrating more clearly the construction of the shim employed in Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a cross sectional viewsimilar to Fig. 2, showing a shim or insert provided with further modified means for retaining or locking it in proper position. I

Fig. 9 is a side elevational detail illustrating more clearly the construction of the shim employed in Fig. 8. g

In the present invention, in place of actu ally slotting the'rail joints, I provide a shim or insert which is placed between the opposed end faces of the rail, and which is proportioned and formed to attain the advantages of a slotted rail joint. Thus referring to Figs. 1,2 and 8, I have shown a representativeiorm of rail joint formed by the rail sections 10,

. which are jointed together by the usual angle plates 11 and bolts 12. Each rail conventionally includes a flange base portion 13, a

web portion 14, and an upper ball portion 15. The opposed end faces of the rails have been indicated at 17. Disposed between the opposed end faces 17 in such a manner as to retain the rails in spaced relationship, I have shown a shim, insert, or plate 18. This shim maybe incorporated with rail joints when the rail sections are being laid, or it may be inserted between the rail ends when the rails are contracted and faces 17 are normally spaced apart.'- f I As will be presently apparent various means can be devised for retaining shim 18 inproper position between the rail ends. As shown in Fig. 2, shim 18 corresponds generally to the contour of the rails 10 and is accordingly provided with a lower portion 19 corresponding to the contour of flange portions 13, an

intermediate portion 21 of reduced width corresponding to the contour of webs 14, and an upper portion 22 corresponding generally to the contour of ball portions 15. I11 this particular instance angle plates 11 serve to engage various edge portions of shim 18 thus securely clamping it in position. Likewise integral laterally bent tabs 38 are provided which are apertured to receive an adjacent oint bolt 12, thus effecting a locking of these tabs to .an adjacent rail section. When the shim is clamped in place, its upper edge 23 is substan tially parallel to but spaced from the upper surfaces of the rail ball portions 15. In other words the shim is so proportioned that the upper edge 23 terminates short of the upper surfaces .of the rail ball portions. As isapparent from Fig. 1, this construction affords a transverse slot 24 at the rail joint, the dimensions of this slot being determined by the dimensions of shim 18. Good results can be secured in practice by making shim 18 about 4; inch in thickness, so that when the rails are expanded slot 24 is of substantially the same width, while edge 23 can be normally positioned so that slot 24 is about of an inch deep.

Since it is desired to maintain slot 24 when the rails are expanded, shim 18 should be made of a material which will not extrude under the compressional stresses to which it is subjected when rails 10 are fully expanded. In practice a hard steel or hard steel alloy will give good results. In general the metal ofthe shim 18 should be at least as hard and resistant to distortion by compression, as the material of which the rail is constructed.

With the rail joint described above slot 24 affords a substantial space into which metal from the'rails may flow, so that relative up and down movement between the rail ends will not cause chipping of the rails. Furthermore this slot 24 is formed without actually cutting the material of the rails.

As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, it is possible to provide the shim with tabs which are welded to the adjacent portions of the rails. Thus in this case shim 41 is simply provided with an upper portion 42, having a width substantially equal to the width of the rail ball por tion 15, and a portion 43 extending downwardly between the angle plates 27. Integral tabs 44 are provided upon portions 42, and these tabs are bent substantially at right angles to the plane of portion 42. Because of the absence of the lower portion corresponding to the base portions 13 of the rails, this shim 41 can be inserted in a rail joint, without removing the angle plates 27. After the shim has been properly positioned a weld connection, as indicated at 46, can be made between tabs 44 and the ball portion 15 of an adjacent rail section.

In Figs. 6 and 7 there is shown another form of shim which can be positioned. without removing the angle plates 27. In this case the metal shim 47 is provided with an upper portion 48 having a width substantially equal to the width of the ball portions 15, and also with a portion 49 depending between the angle plates 27. Resilient struck out tongues 51 areprovided upon portion 49, and when the shim 47 is forced downwardly between the rails, tongues 51 are bent into the plane of the main body of the shim. When the shim is forced downwardly sulficiently far to position the upper ends of tongue 51 below the rail ball portions 15, tongues 51 spring into the positions shown in Fig. 7, thus securely locking the shim against removal.

In Figs. 8 and 9 there is shown a further modified form of shim, which can be position-ed without removing the angle plates 27. In this case metal shim52 is provided with an upper portion 53 having substantially the same width as the width of the rail ball portion 15, and it also has a depending portion 54 adapted to extend between the angle plates 27. Portion 54 is of such length that when the shim is properly positioned between the rails, the lower end portion 56 can be bent over as shown in Fig. 9, thus securely locking the shim against removal.

I claim: Y

1. A rail joint comprising plates for securing together the adjacent ends of rail sec tions, a metal shim inserted between the opposed faces of the rail sections, the upper edge of said shim terminating short of the upper surfaces of the rail sections, and means for retaining said shim between said plates, said means including a portion formed integrally with the shim and bent to extend laterally to the planes of the faces thereof,

for retaining said shim between said plates,

said means "including portions formed integral with the main portions of the shim and extending laterally to the planes of the faces thereof, said shim having a contour such that it can'be inserted in the joint without removing said plates 3. A rail joint comprising plates for securing together the adjacent ends of rail sections, a metal shim inserted between the opposed faces of the rail sections, the upper edge of said shim'terminating short of the upper surfaces of the rail sections, and means for retaining said shim between said plates,

said means including tabs formed integral with the shim and bent to extend outwardly from one face thereof, said tabs being adapted to be locked with respect to one of the rail sections.

4. A rail joint comprising plates for securing together the adjacent ends of rail sections, a metal shim inserted between the opposed faces of the rail sections, the u per edge of said shim terminating short 0 the upper surfaces of the rail sections,and means for retaining said shim between said plates, said means including tabs formed integral with the shim and bent to extend outwardly from one face thereof, said tabs being adapted to be secured to one of the rail sections, said shim having a contour such that it can be inserted in the joint without removing said plates. 7

5. A rail joint comprising plates for securing together the adjacent ends of rail sections, a metal shim inserted between the 0pposed faces of the rail sections, the upper edge of said shim terminating short of the upper surfaces of the rail sections, and means for retaining said shim between said plates, said means including a weld connection to one of the rail sections.

6. A rail joint comprising plates for securing together the adjacent ends of rail sections, a metal shim inserted between the opposed faces of the rail sections, the upper edge of said shim terminating short of the upper surfaces of the rail sections, and means for retaining said shim between said plates, said means including a weld connection to one of the rail sections, said shim having a contour such that it can be inserted in the joint without removing said plates, before said weld connection is made.

7 A rail joint comprising plates for securing together the adjacent ends of rail sections, a metal shim inserted between the opposed faces of the rail sections, the upper edge of said shim terminating short of the upper surfaces of the rail sections, and means including resilient tongues adapted to lock the shim between the plates.

8. A rail joint comprising plates for securing together the adjacent ends of rail sec tions, a metal shim inserted between the opposed faces of the rail sections, the upper edge of said shim terminating short of the I upper surfaces of the rail sections, and means for retaining said shim between said plates, said means including resilient tongues adapted to lock the shim between the plates, said shim having a contour such that it can be inserted in the joint without removing said plates.

9. A rail joint comprising plates for securing together the adjacent ends of rail sections, a metal shim inserted between the opposed faces of the rail sections, the'upper edge ofsaid shim terminating short of the upper surfaces of the rail sections, and means for retaining said shim between said plates,

my hand.

FREDERICK L. RE QUA. 

